


Dark Chronicle: Paradox

by WrestleCrazyGamer



Category: Dark Cloud (Video Games)
Genre: Multi, Multiverse Manipulation, time paradox
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 14:42:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11969529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WrestleCrazyGamer/pseuds/WrestleCrazyGamer
Summary: Monica is impregnated with Max's child before returning to her own time. When the child was born, she named him Maxwell after his father. When the Purple Atlamillia, also known as the Chronostone, finds its way to Maxwell it is revealed that Maxwell is a time anomaly. This leads to the unfolding of the journey to find Maxwell's true future, all the while trying to keep Chronos from destroying Maxwell.





	Dark Chronicle: Paradox

**Author's Note:**

> I'd list the characters but apparently they don't exist.

When Monica returned to the future once the Star Glass’s time was up, she carried with her the seed of her kingdom’s future. Monica kept it secret until a short time after her coronation when her stomach began to grow. It was then that she revealed the details.

“Queen Monica, this was highly irresponsible.” Elena scolded.

“I agree completely. The kingdom is still in a state of disarray.” Galen added.

“Then maybe their queen having an heir to the throne will put their minds at ease. Max is the man I love, and I refused to risk never seeing him again without telling him how I feel.” Monica told them.

“That is no excuse to have a child without first being prepared. You did not even confer with us.” Elena scolded.

“Indeed… although it’s pointless to argue the point now. She is already pregnant so it would be a fruitless effort to combat the decision. All we can do is ensure that she does right by the child.” Galen sighed.

“Sadly.” Elena sighed.

“So, because of the baby, I’ll be needing the Ixion fixed up. I at least want Max to see his kid.” Monica told them.

“Time travel is forbidden.” Elena told her.

“Yes. You may want to take him back in time, but it is expressly forbidden. The Ixion is never to be used again.” Galen added.

“That’s not fair to Max.” Monica argued.

“Monica. We understand that you love him, but he lives in the past… we live in the future.” Elena told her.

Monica begrudgingly had to go without seeing Max. When she reached term she gave birth to a baby boy, and named him Maxwell in honor of his father. She kept him around her even when seeing diplomatic emissaries. She even had Osmond invent a convenient-nurse baby vest to make that less embarrassing for the emissaries. She even had baby Maxwell’s crib installed in her chambers so she could watch over him easier even if sometimes it impeded her own rest.

When he could finally walk and when he said his first word all made Monica’s heart warm. She always made sure to clear her schedule on Maxwell’s birthday to take him to the Star Festival in Veniccio. On his fourth birthday… he asked the question she’d been dreading…

“Momma… where’s papa?” Maxwell asked as the fireworks went off.

“Papa is… um… away on a trip.” Monica answered averting eye contact.

“When is he coming back?” Maxwell asked.

“He… uh… that’s hard to say… it depends on when his work where he is gets finished.” Monica answered trying to think of a good enough excuse.

“Mister Bunny said if you make a wish on a star it might come true… so… I’m gonna wish that papa’s work gets done super fast, so he can come home.” Maxwell smiled driving a sword through Monica’s heart.

“Yeah… I’ll make that wish too…” Monica spoke knowing she was lying to him.

Maxwell was tuckered out by the end of the festival, so Monica took him to the repurposed Ixion. Now instead of a time travel train it was a long recreational area. The hog was dedicated to being a power nap area. Monica had Maxwell use her lap as a pillow as she looked around the car. She wished she could just turn it on and take him back in time, but the Ixion no longer had that functionality.

Two years later it was Maxwell’s birthday again, but this time an emissary was coming and Monica had to see to that meeting. Thankfully despite his age Maxwell completely agreed she should make sure all of her work is done before playing. So Maxwell began to play with his toys patiently waiting for everything to be finished.

When Monica entered the room after a long three hours, her hair seemed to reach the floor and was let down rather than put in a ponytail. She wore black greaves, blood red jeans with metal leggings attached to a jet black metal combat skirt, a black blouse with a red vest over it, and a dark red hide cape. She also had a scar over her left eye. Maxwell didn’t seem to think anything of it.

“Everything done with the visitor, mama?” Maxwell asked her.

“Yes. Everything’s going smoothly.” she smiled kneeling by him reaching behind her back.

“What’cha reaching for?” Maxwell asked.

“I know that we haven’t even had lunch yet, but this is a very special birthday present… there is only one in the entire world.” Monica smiled presenting a silver necklace bearing a purple gemstone in the center.

“It’s so pretty!” Maxwell exclaimed.

“This is known as the Chronostone, able to take the wearer anywhere they want past, present, and future. It also has very special hidden abilities only someone who’s mastered its power can use. It’s a very special form of Atlamillia, and as such requires delicate care.” Monica told him as she put it around his neck making the gem twinkle faintly.  
“I love it!” Maxwell exclaimed hugging her and she shed a single tear before coughing a bit.

“I just remembered… I have something very important to do before we can play…” Monica smiled hurrying to the hallway.

She got around the corner when she started coughing hard enough to vomit blood. She became paler as she continued to cough. The actual Monica turned the corner with knights behind her as the apparent imposter fell to her knees coughing. She attempted to stand unsteadily only to stumble forward for Monica to catch.

“I’ve done what I can… to break the cycle… please… don’t let our little boy become… that monster…” the impostor pleaded before closing her eyes fading out of existence startling Monica.

“What was that…?” Monica asked before making a dead sprint for Maxwell’s room where he was just casually playing.

“Max…?” Monica called to him.

“Oh, so you just had to change clothes. Haha, you coulda just said so, mama.” Maxwell smiled at her, and she immediately noticed the necklace.

“Where’d you get that?” Monica asked.

“You gave it to me for my birthday just a few minutes ago. You’re being silly mama.” Maxwell giggled.

“Right… I was testing you.” Monica spoke kneeling to hug him.

The day seemed to go by fine, but around sundown dark clouds began to gather in the sky. Thunder rumbled spoiling their plan to have a nice evening in the courtyard. In the darkness that began to fall, voices called out a single word… “Atlamillia”. When Monica put Maxwell to bed she didn’t even get out of the room when a loud crash brought her back into the room to see a black creature reaching out for Maxwell, who was petrified with fear. She ran grabbing him from the bed and fled as the black blob began to chase them.

“What’s going on!?” Monica asked glancing back seeing many distorted faces bubbling in the mass.

The servants and knights seemed to have completely disappeared. More black masses closed off other routes forcing them to a hall. Monica started to break into a cold sweat as Maxwell cried.

“I-It’ll be okay, Maxwell…” Monica told him attempting to calm him down.

“I want my papa!” Maxwell cried making the Chronostone glow bright and engulf them in bright purple energy sending them through a rainbow colored rift.

When they came out of the rift they landed on soft grass. Thunder was rumbling as crickets chirped. Monica sat up rubbing the still sniffling Maxwell’s back comfortingly as she tried to gather her bearings. She saw a parasol table with chairs by it, a brick fence, and other houses beyond that fence. There would be no doubt about it… this was Palm Brinks, and they were in Max’s yard!

“Maxwell, did you bring us… backwards in time?” Monica asked wiping Maxwell’s tears.

“I-I want… p-papa…” Maxwell spoke with the hiccups.

“All right… we’ll go see papa.” Monica told him with a smile and then stood carrying him.

She carried him to the door and knocked with the knockers. No response, understandable given the time of night. Nevertheless she needed to know for sure they were in the past, so she knocked again. It started to sprinkle when after the tenth knock the door began to open. Sure enough, standing there with a grease-stained apron on, was Maximillian. He had a look of complete bewilderment on his face.

“Monica?” Max asked in confusion.

“It’s a long story…” Monica told him.

“Well, don’t just stand there like a stranger.” Max smiled stepping aside.

Once inside Max allowed her to put him to bed in his old room. The two then stood guard after Monica explained they were being pursued. The storm began to pick up shortly after.

“So this little guy is our kid. I was wondering if you had a boy or a girl, though I thought you said it was impossible to return once the Starglass ran out?” Max asked as he looked at Maxwell’s sleeping face.

“That’s what I thought too… but apparently another ‘me’ gave him that necklace and I’m pretty sure when he wanted to see you it brought us here with some kind of magic.” Monica answered.

“Sort of like an Atlamillia?” Max asked glancing at the necklace.

“There are only three though, and those were used to stop the Star of Oblivion by Sirus. There’s no way it could be one.” Monica argued.

“We discovered something in the Zelmite Mines recently, a ruin that has hieroglyphs of ancient people worshipping a being with a staff that appeared to control time because there were all kinds of objects that wouldn’t fit that time period in them. Do you think maybe there’s a higher being that made them?” Max asked.

“Like, God on earth?” Monica asked.

“Not God, but maybe a being similar to him… one that can control and manipulate time, maybe?” Max conjectured.

“In the morning can you show me the ruin?” Monica asked.

“Sure thing, but the mines have been a little dangerous lately. It’ll be too dangerous to take Maxwell.” Max answered.

“I’ll feel safer if he’s with us, especially after tonight’s little fiasco. Plus he’s wanted to see you since he could walk. He’d find a way to follow even if he were tied to the bed.” she told him.

“Guess he gets that from both of us, we don’t know how to quit either. All right, but he’s going to be hidden in Steve. With the recent modifications I’ve made to him there’s no way they’ll get to him.” Max nodded.

“Sounds like a plan. I can’t exactly swing a sword with him hanging onto my waist.” Monica smiled.

“I’ll have to activate Steve’s auto-defend features too, just in case some get behind us.” Max spoke thinking aloud to himself.

When morning came the storm had subsided. Maxwell seemed extremely excited to finally meet his dad. Max couldn’t fight the smile on his face. After lunch it was time… they were going to head to the ruin in the Zelmite Mines. After making sure Maxwell was situated in Steve, they ventured in.

The path was littered with monsters, as Max had said. It got Monica back into practice with her sword and magic, since she hadn’t needed a reason to fight since returning to the future. They eventually reached Junction 15, where the opening to the ruin was located. Inside Monica and Maxwell marvelled at the many hieroglyphs that decorated the walls. At the far end of the entranceway lay a door bearing depictions of the three Atlamillia in a triangle formation with a depiction of the Chronostone in the middle.

“We’ve never gotten beyond this door. We can’t use explosives, it’d cause a cave in, and the last drill we used broke down trying to get through while not even scratching it.” Max told them.

“Really? It looks like any old stone door though.” Monica commented.

“There isn’t even a keyhole or anything.” Max sighed as Maxwell approached it.

The Chronostone began to glow and the door shook causing dust to fall from it as it rose. Purple flames ignited in torches illuminating a long hall to what seemed to be a worship chamber. The Chronostone began tugging forward making Maxwell walk down the hall with Max and Monica close behind. At the worship altar was a statue bearing a ruby on the left palm, a sapphire on the right palm, and a yellow topaz gem on its forehead.

“It’s reacting to the ruins?” Max asked Monica.

“Ever since he got it it’s been like a Deus Ex Machina for us, first it warped us out of danger now it’s opened a door you couldn’t open.” Monica answered shrugging her shoulders.

“Ye who possess the Chronostone… have ye come seeking knowledge of the Lord of Time?” the statue asked in a deep voice.

“Lord of Time?” Monica asked tilting her head.

“Who is that?” Max asked the statue, but the statue remained silent.

“Guess it’ll only respond to Maxwell. Sweetie, can you ask it who the Lord of Time is?” Monica asked Maxwell and he nodded in response.

“Um… Mister Statue, who’s the Lord of Time?” Maxwell asked the statue.

“Chronos, the Lord of Time, is charged with watching all of time and space. Ever watchful, he guides all through their lives ensuring they perish when their time comes. He watches from the Citadel of Clockworks, ensuring no anomalies in time prevent the natural flow from continuing. The events one named Sirus set in motion is one such event that required his indirect interference to correct. The Blue and Red Atlamillia had left existence, but through the Chronostone he gave them life again. He then set them on a course to find worthy bearers.” the statue answered.

“Chronostone?” Max asked thinking to himself.

“What’s the Chronostone?” Maxwell asked the statue.

“The Chronostone is a manifestation of Chronos’s temporal power. It is the True Atlamillia, colored a light shade of purple, a tool employed by Chronos to drastically reduce the strain of using his powers in his ever-aging body. If misused, it could potentially erase an entire timeline… or completely change it. It is forbidden from being in the hands of man.” the statue answered.

“Yet Maxwell has it?” Max asked Monica.

“Don’t look at me.” Monica told him.

“What’s an anomaly?” Maxwell asked the statue.

“An anomaly, when referring to Chronos’s work, refers to a Time Anomaly that disrupts the passage of time in a timeline. If not dealt with properly, it will split off hundreds if not thousands of alternate routes continuing to make finding the root of the anomaly that much harder to find. These have become increasingly more difficult for Chronos to resolve as time has passed.” the statue answered.

“Can you ask if it’s possible for it to get into a human’s hands?” Max asked Maxwell.

“Is it possible for it to get into a human’s hands?” Maxwell asked.

“This event was unprecedented, but it occurred with the birth of a human named Maxwell. The stone no longer worked for Chronos… and burned him when he so much as touched it. It then fled and brought itself into his possession in the form of a birthday present. He was ten at the time, and in trying to master its true power accidentally took the lives of an entire kingdom. This led to him becoming an anomaly the likes Chronos had never seen before. After failing to convince the young prince to return the stone, he decided that the only way to stop it was to kill every incarnation of the prince that obtained the stone. There are only two timelines that have forced Chronos to retreat.” the statue answered.

“Maxwell… is an anomaly?” Monica asked in complete shock.

“Why am I an anomaly?” Maxwell asked the statue making its eyes open showing red light inside the eye sockets.

“You are… who I have waited for… under order of Chronos’s assistant.” the statue spoke standing up making a ton of dust fall off of it.

“Why were you waiting?” Max asked readying his wrench.

“For the True Ending to arrive.” the statue answered.

“True Ending? Explain what that means.” Monica ordered brandishing her sword stepping in front of Maxwell.

“A Maxwell who is innocent, untainted by the stone’s power. A Maxwell who received the stone long before he was meant to, resulting in a different future from all of the other timelines. This occurrence is the result of the Tragedy of Prince Maxwell timeline succeeding. Queen Monica successfully made the stone obey her, at the cost of her life. She wished to prevent Chronos from killing her precious boy, by giving him a head start on mastering the stone’s power. When its original Maxwell died, his conscience was absorbed by the stone… giving it a mind of its own. In a sense, the stone was given a heart by its wielder. Thus can the true future be shaped and resolve the anomaly.” the statue answered.

“This is a lot to take in.” Monica sighed.

“Your first move… should be to secure Sindain’s safety. A clan of the distant past has found them and if tensions aren’t eased soon, a slaughter will ensue.” the statue told them.

“A slaughter?!” Max exclaimed.

“You must seek out the Rainbow Butterfly… ask about Matataki Village, and she will show you the way.” the statue told them.

“We have to hurry.” Monica spoke and they got on Steve rushing back to Palm Brinks.

Once they got into the plaza everything stopped moving. Confused they looked around and found even doors didn’t open. Then in a bright flash they were confronted by a towering elderly man with a beard reaching his knees wearing a blue, gold, and green robe and cloak. He held a scepter bearing several slowly moving gears at its top. His eyes were a cold blue with an icy stare to go with it.

“I’m gonna go on a limb and say you’re Chronos.” Monica spoke.

“Then you know why I am here.” Chronos spoke in a low tone.

“Is it true? Maxwell is a Time Anomaly or whatever?” Max asked him.

“Indeed. That stone does not belong in the hands of anyone in this world but its creator. It is intended to aid me in resolving Time Anomalies, not creating the biggest I’ve ever dealt with.” Chronos answered.

“Is the stone being with me really such a big deal?” Maxwell asked tilting his head.

“Insolent child… you’ve no idea the power contained within that stone! It is imperative that it return to my possession posthaste!” Chronos scolded with a booming voice.  
“You don’t have to yell.” Max told him stepping in front of the frightened Maxwell.

“You desire to fight… just as before, you will both learn of my inability to perish… and will then perish yourselves… leading the prince to become the Dark King.” Chronos sighed readying energy in his scepter making Max and Monica brace for a fight.

“You’re gonna hurt mama and papa? No… you can’t, you aren’t allowed! Go away you bully!” Maxwell shouted making the Chronostone glow causing time to flow again as a purple sphere engulfs Chronos vanishing in an instant taking him with it.

“Maxwell… you… you literally just told off the ruler of time and made him leave by force.” Monica told him in complete shock.

“He said he was gonna kill you and papa…” Maxwell whimpered and Max hugged him smiling.

“We know. You protected us, and we’re thankful. So let us keep returning the favor and protect you.” Max told him.

“Let’s hurry before Chronos comes back.” Monica suggested and they made for the station and took the first train to Sindain.

Once they arrived at Sindain Station they saw smoke rising beyond the trees. They rushed into Sindain to find it being raided by beast people. Max and Monica quickly saw to fending them off making them flee into the woods. After putting out the fires they quickly met up with Conda.

“Oh that was too close… thank goodness you two showed up when ya did or we’d ‘ave been goners.” Conda sighed.

“Who were those people?” Monica asked.

“Ye’ve got us there, they just up an’ attacked us out of the blue without so much as a word about what we did to tick ‘em off.” one of the Firbits answered shrugging his shoulders.

“Hey, think they’re from that Matataki Village the statue told us about?” Max asked Monica.

“Maybe… we won’t know until we ask Holly.” Monica answered.

“What? Yer goin’ to see Holly?” Conda asked.

“Yeah. Apparently she knows about a place called Matataki Village. If we don’t calm the people of that place down there’ll be a massacre.” Max told him.

“Oi, now that’s jus’ mean of ‘em.” another Firbit scoffed.

“So we’ll be going into the Rainbow Butterfly Wood. Think you can handle keeping the town safe until we get back?” Monica asked.

“Leave it to us. With Carpenterion there’s nothin’ in this town we can’t repair.” Conda smiled.

“Oi, you aren’t takin’ a lad in with ya are ya?” another Firbit asked.

“Trust us, he’s safer with us.” Monica replied.

“Steve will keep him safe.” Max assured them.

After making some preparations, they made for the Rainbow Butterfly Wood to seek answers. What were the enigmatic villagers of Matataki truly like? Where were they located? Why were they angry with Sindain?


End file.
